Britain faces a grim future relationship with the EU if it doesn’t pay up a hefty Brexit bill, Brussels chief claims

BRITAIN faces a grim future relationship with the EU if it doesn’t pay up a hefty Brexit bill, a Brussels chief has warned.

EU Council president Donald Tusk issued the veiled threat as Theresa May also clashed with France’s Emmanuel Macron over exit negotiations in the margins of the G7 summit in Sicily.

Also at the meeting of world leaders, Mr Tusk rubbished British ministers’ claims that the EU must also write a farewell cheque to Britain.

Quizzed on the suggestion, the former Polish PM insisted: “No, we have to respect our obligations.

“It’s not about money, it’s about rules and also it’s about a good basis for our future relations.”

Mr Tusk also warned that the remaining 27 member states will not budge on their demand for a payment, which has been priced at as much as £80bn.

He said the EU will be “very consistent in this problem” to maintain Brussels’ authority.

He added: “Please believe me, it’s not because of money but because of rules”.

There was also tension between the PM and the new French president over the EU’s demand that a Brexit bill is settled before talks on a EU-UK trade deal can begin.

Mrs May held talks with Mr Macron for the first time since his election win two weeks ago before the G7 summit started on Friday morning.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “On Brexit and the Article 50 process, the Prime Minister reaffirmed her wish for early clarity on the position of EU citizens in the UK and vice versa.

“She also made clear that Britain and the 27 EU member states should be discussing our future relationship with the EU at the same time as discussing the terms of our withdrawal.”

Earlier this month, Mrs May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson both claimed there would have to be a flow of cash between both Brexit camps.

The PM has said there is “much debate about what the UK’s obligations might be, or indeed what our rights might be in terms of money.”

EU boss Mr Tusk also claimed that US President Donald Trump had agreed that the remaining 27 EU member states are stronger after the landmark Brexit vote than before it.

Mr Tusk said: “I was positively surprised by President Trump’s comments on Brexit, because it was clear for both of us that in fact the EU as 27 is more united after Brexit than before Brexit and it was also his opinion”.